Camping at Lake Livingston in Houston

We wanted to do something fun for spring break and Lori had just the solution... come camping with them in Houston!  She made it easy since she packed all our camping gear and food, all we had to do was fly from phx (which ended up that we landed at 2 am and a broken stroller and slow rental car process later, we crashed at her house at 4 am!!  I felt so young again!)  We headed up after a slow morning letting the kids play in their amazing toy room.  I just loved being outdoors!  It wasn't too rugged, but still plenty dirty with a crawler around.  

We played card games together.

The girls hiked around the lake.

 Mariah took a nap in a tent without complaint (have I mentioned she is easy?)

  The boys went fishing with live worms...yuck!

Mariah was drawn to the chairs that tipped over, buckets of water, the fire and dirt.  It was quite a feat to keep her alive and safe... I gave up on the clean part.

 TWINS!  Thanks to Lori having 2 girls in a row, we get matching hand-me-downs for my girls and I love it!  Obviously Mariah is not loving this moment, but I hope someday they will be friends.

Megan had a birthday and we had the most amazing cake I have EVER had!  Then the kids blew bubbles to their hearts content.

This cousin, Cameron is SO sweet to Mariah.  She laughs SO much at him.  She really loved him!

There was even a park with the old-school long slide and tall swings.

The laughs from this baby are SO fun.  Her brother and cousins really know how to get her giggling!  Almost to the point of not being able to breathe!

Mariah fell asleep in the open air at night and we moved her into the tent later, she fell right back asleep and only woke up once. 

Hallie was up really early begging to wear her pretty pink dress (which I had not packed) We promised she could and she went back to sleep!  Then in the morning she was devastated she had to wear pants again, but she had already worn pants yesterday!!  camping was a huge sacrifice for that little girl!

 We literally had JUST packed up all the stuff and jumped in the car when an amazing hail and rain storm pounded the camp.  We were so glad we were leaving!

 Saying goodbye to cousins.   SO happy we get to have family love!  Thank you Lori and Jim for all you do to make our get-togethers fun and possible!  We love our family!

Snow Day

When we realized Jackson didn't have school on Monday (after I returned to the land of the living from my sickness) we wondered where to go.  The usual location is Utah, so we made a run for it.  We decided to go Fri at 9 and the flight left at 2.  That meant lots of packing and cleaning for me (and an hour at the park to pass out Hallie's valentines.  

**Travel advice: Don't put lotion on your hand before security!  I walked through the metal detector with MAriah in my arms and then they swipe my hands and detected "explosives" on my hands.  Then I wasn't allowed to touch any of our bags, my shoes or help my kids.  Luckily Dave was there to put everything together as I sat and watched (still holding Mariah).  They did allow me to buckle her into her seat.  Dave took the kids to the gate as I got an intense pat down, my bags rifled through and my shoes tested.  Turns out mother-of-three was NOT a terrorist, so they let me go (Running as fast as my body could to the gate to be let on moments before they shut the door!)

We stayed with the Harper's on Friday night and Saturday.  They were getting ready to leave for their mission in the DC temple on MONDAY, yet they were gracious enough to host us!  They also watched our kids so we could go out for a minute on Valentine's day.  Somehow we missed getting a photo before they left.  It is definitely easier to say goodbye knowing we will probably visit DC in a few short months.  We are so grateful for their example of service and sacrifice to serve the Lord and the people of the DC area.  

We took our kids WAY up the canyon to get a taste of the snow (the weather in the valley was pretty gorgeous).  The kids loved riding the sleds as we pulled them.  Mariah smiled and waved at everyone.  Jackson and Hallie loves sledding on a small hill and digging in big drifts (accidentally stepping in river water.)

 Mariah got pretty fussy when I laid her in the snow, so we just propped her in the seat and she sat for an hour without moving and fell asleep on our way down the mountain.  She is such a good girl!

Grandma and Grandpa Ahlstrom are so fun with our kids.  I swear they have more energy with the kids than I do!  Amazing!

 My mom helped Jackson make this lion out of clay and then he wanted to make a horse too.  It took over and hour and he did not get bored or distracted all all.  He read all the instructions and did most of the work!  This kid is amazing when he puts his mind to something!

Grandpa is so fun! 

I got to play a game of racquetball against my dad which was fun.  I flew home with all 3 kids alone.  None of them fell asleep as planned so there was no need for the double jogger stroller we toted there and back.  The flight landed at 10 pm and EVERYONE was still awake.  Luckily, the leappad, kindle and ipod were helpful parents since there was only 1 of me.  Dave picked us up and helped me unpack everything.

12 on 12th March

1. Jackson is on spring break, so we are having a bunch of fun with him.  He rode his bike to the park while I ran the girls in the double stroller.  We are loving the weather right now, although I can feel it getting a bit hotter... summer is coming!  I loved watching my big boy peddle his heart out ahead of my racing to the park.

2.  Mariah is officially into the mess making stage.  She loved opening cupboards and drawers and pulling everything out!

3. reading books.  We went to the library yesterday.  Jackson has already read 2 chapter books (2nd grade level) and Hallie has turned through the pictures of all 33 books.  These kids love books.  I try to read to them at nap time since bedtime has gotten so long we tend not to read then.

4.  Dave working on the laptop.  It seems he works almost every night from home.  He is a hard worker and has too much to do right now.  The Merger is coming up and keeping him busy.

5.  Jackson loves to play with Mariah.  We let him be the horse tonight and she giggled as she rode on his back.

6. We made Chex muddy buddies for a snack.  Jackson loves to read the back of the cereal boxes and all the chex boxes have recipes.  It was my first time so it was fun to share it with the kids.  Jackson is able to do so much of the work, so it is nice to actually feel that we are doing it together.

7.  Hallie's playgroup.  I love that she has friends she loves to be with weekly.  Today she ran around singing and doing the moves to "Let it go".

8.  The night ended with me packing for a camping trip in Houston with our cousins.  I hope we are able to get there and get home without incident :)

9.   LAST month on the 12th I had a pic of life... Well, Jackson talked me into it again today.  He set it all up and wanted to be the banker.  Luckily, about half way through Mariah had a melt down and we counted our fortunes early :)  Jackson knows I am a sucker for games.  I love that he can actually PLAY many games.  Yesterday he seriously KILLED me in ticket to ride.  Smart kiddo!

10. Mariah still takes 2 naps which means we are home between 9-10:30 and sometime in the afternoon.  I love that she is happy and content even if we push her naps around a bit, but I also love that I don't have to worry about timing since I don't have to get Jackson from school.  It makes it easy to do 2 naps.  Hallie and I take a quiet time during her second nap and frequently I even get a nap!

11.  writing in the kids journals.  I still try to write daily in Hallie and Mariahs journals.  I have started writing monthly on my personal journal blog about Jackson.  I hope the kids value these someday.  I certainly like going back and reading them (especially when comparing kids at different stages.)

12. I didn't get 12 photos today.  I WISH I had a photo of Dave playing "rough" with the kids.  The kids love it and I love the sound of happiness and fun in the house.  Mariah always tries to get involved too now.  Tonight she threw fits when Hallie took her toy she was playing with.  She is getting more fiesty, curious and strong minded.

12 of 12 February

This happen to fall on a VERY sick day for me.  The past 2 weeks the whole family has been sick, so this seemed appropriate, but I definitely didn't take pics of me this day.

1. Netti pot:  I'd never heard of this before a facebook plea for help with my sinus'.  I went and bought this immediately.  I'm not sure it worked since I couldn't even get it to flow at all.  I was way too clogged up.  At 8:30 am, my friend shopped by to give me oils to use on my sinus' and in the pot.  This seemed to help things flow a little better.  I'm so blessed with good friends.
2. A book to read: My friend borrowed my car yesterday and checked me out my book on reserve.  I finished it in one day... lots of time to sit and lay around means lots of time to read.  This friend also gave me a head massage to relieve some pain.  SO sweet! I'm so blessed with good friends.
3. Usually I am really on top of the kitchen mess.  A messy kitchen shows how awful I am feeling.  Another friend dropped off some medicine late last night and offered to do my dishes.  I was embarrassed and said no, but all day I wished I would've let her because the mess was overwhelming, disgusting and a cause for more headache.  I'm so blessed with good friends.
4.  Hallie decided to wear the top and skirt I made her last week.  She looked so cute.  Too bad no one saw her and too bad I was too sick to do her hair.
5. My bed... at least it was made right? I took 2 naps today!  First when Mariah was sleeping I gave Hallie the leap pad, the kindle AND the ipod and slept.  Then all 3 of us slept during 2nd nap.  I was still tired all afternoon.  I guess I really needed it.
6.  My kids got to watch TV and get their own snacks (cereal)
7.  Jackson talked me into a game of life which was torture for my headache.  He was good enough to pick up all the toys on the floor to 'earn' playing time with me.
8.  What happens when kids get their own snacks.  I hate stepping on cereal on the floor.  Big pet peeve!  My cousin brought over dinner so I didn't have to cook.  This was a LIFESAVER!  I loved a hot meal without having to go through the pain of preparing it!  I'm so blessed with good friends.
9.  Mariah.  Thankfully she is feeling better.  I couldn't smell her stinky diapers, so I caused a bit of a diaper rash, but besides that she's been so pleasant and happy.  I didn't breast feed at all today.  Low milk supply and feeling crappy I just didn't want someone sucking the little life I had out of me.
10. Sleep time. Luckily Dave got home right at bedtime to help out.   I love that Jackson falls asleep reading books every night.
11.   Usually Hallie is up for much longer than Jackson, especially on days she takes a nap.  Everyone in the house was asleep before Hallie tonight.  She stays in her bed reading and singing until she falls asleep.
12. Sweet Mariah sleeping.  She is not sleeping through the night yet, getting sick for me and her meant waking up with her.  Usually she is up around 3 or 4 and again at 5 or 6.  She goes right back to sleep after eating a bit.  Hopefully, by 1-year-old she WILL be sleeping through the night.

Oahu with Kids

 We got to spend 5 nights on Oahu.  Getting there was quite difficult.  There seemed to be plenty of seats, but it continued to creep down and the stand-bys got more and more.  2 hours before the flight a party of 6 jumped on before us.  We were stressed.  Then Dave had brought a shovel that was not ours that he accidentally brought through security.  He was taken back to have it checked.  This stressed me out because we were considering flying to Maui and hoping to Oahu the next day.  I didn't know if Dave had what he needed if we had to do that plan.  We also had signed up to do a mystery shopper for lunch.  We only had a few minutes and quickly had to fit it in which is stressful because you have to write an evaluation in detail in order to qualify.   We finally got tickets to get on, but the stress continued because we had 5 individual seats located all over the plane.  Everyone was traveling together, so no one would switch us.  More and more people got on and we still had yet to find even 2 seats together.  Finally, Dave finagled getting 2 seats accros the aisle from each other and a couple sitting by one of our seats agreed to split up a little.  This means we got 3 seats in a row.  We also had one seat behind and switched someone to have a seat accross.   It worked out great, but was so stressful getting there.  Mariah slept for 2 hours.  Hallie slept for a couple hours.  Jackson made good friends with the grandma sitting next to him and played with her iPad and his kindle the whole flight.  He was great.  The flight lasted so long for me!  Finally, we arrived and Dave picked up the car while I waited for our MANY pieces of luggage.  We brought enough food for Breakfast and lunch every day and snacks for the duration.  2 full boxes of food.  We brought 3 snorkel sets, floaties, sand toys, baby items, and of course clothes, and other necessities.

We got in late on Saturday night.  The kids didn't go to sleep until  midnight our time (and they were so hyper and couldn't fall asleep).  I was hoping this meant that they would sleep in, but not to be.  Hallie woke up at 4 am and Dave took her outside, while Jackson, Mariah and I slept longer.
  We went to church for the full 3 hours (although we barely missed the sacrament ... we were there, but they didn't bring it to the halls :( )  We then headed to Pearl Harbor.  It was a neat way to spend a sunday, especially since the attack actually happened on a Sunday.

 Jackson was very interested in the story of the attack and I enjoyed explaining it.  Such a teacher :)  It was pretty hot and the breeze was welcome!

We took dinner to the airport to welcome Dave's brother and his kids to the island.  

 We checked into our resort at the Hilton Wakiki.  It was a beautiful place with a great pool and view.  We got a huge family room and it was nice to unpack for the week.  

We headed to the beach early on Monday (the kids were up at 5:30 an hour later than yesterday!)

We took a break in the hotel for a movie and then headed to Hanauma Bay.  Despite my months living on Oahu, I never made it to this bay, it was incredible!  We love snorkling and this is absolutely the place to do it!  Jackson was 'cold' and a little nervous so he only lasted a few minutes.  Dave and I took turns and saw some incredible fish, coral and other aqua things.  

Mariah got the messiest at this beach. so cute!

Our one sunset of the trip :(  We love ourselves a good sunset!

 On Tuesday (The kids slept until 6:30.... 9:30 our time!!)we headed to Ko'olina to spend the day with our kids cousins.

 The daddy's (With a little help from the kids) made an GIANT sand structure with a moat out to the ocean. 

We spent 9 straight hours on the beach and in the pools. Tom grilled hamburgers and sausages for us (delicious) and we spent time with the cousins and family.  Hallie and Jackson absolutely LOVED their cousins grandma and were so (overly) friendly to her.  

On Wednesday, we drove up to the North shore.  We visited the Temple and ate lunch at the snack bar at BYU-Hawaii.  We then met a missionary friend at the PCC.  We took our kids to visit the islands of the Pacific.  The kids were more interested in doing thing rather than watching the shows, but that worked out just fine.  

We ate at the best fish taco place ever.  and the kids fell asleep on the way home.

We headed to Diamond Head on Thursday morning.  I didn't realize how high it really was and was really worried the kids wouldn't make it (Esp. because I didn't bring good shoes for them)  They were tough and made it the whole was (and I was tough for carrying a baby, that didn't mind the carrier, the whole way)

 We cleaned up our hotel and spent the afternoon at the pool and hot tubs, riding the water slides.  We cleaned up and watched an outdoor movie (A Bugs Life) before heading to the airport for the red eye home.  We luckily got 2 rows and the girls slept in carseats, I stretched out across the 3 seats and Jackson and Daddy got the floor.  Everyone but Daddy slept all night long.

Good bye Hawaii... Hope we see you again soon!

(Yes, we have visited an island a month for 3 months. . . I guess February calls for Maui :))

Hallie's 3rd birthday

Hallie turned 3!! 

 I had so much fun planning a pink princess party that I knew would be a hit with her.  I couldn't pick just one princess, so we went with ALL of them.   

When the girls showed up they got a crown (homemade and not as cute as the pinterest version) and then a wand.

The table was spread with food and goodies and the girls were excited about it.  

We danced to princess songs using our wands.

We played 'Follow the princess' from a DVD of princess games

They guest colored a bit

We played kiss the frog although most of our guest opted for the lipstick and REAL kiss version rather than the lips I printed.

The girls mixed together glittery princess putty.

Opening presents was a highlight.  Hallie is so easy to please... anything girly, pink or princess she LOVES.

 Mariah crawled around the mess of girls and had a great time in the chaos too!

The kids made food "Wands" with ham, cheese, grape tomatos and chunks of bread.  We also had grahamn crackers with cream cheese and strawberries, pink punch (with sparkly rimmed cups), watermelon and strawberries.

Cake time!!

Each kid picked a princess cupcake topper they were excited about.  I love the cone cupcakes since there are no wrappers all over the place.  SO much easier for the kids and the cleaner :)

We are so glad Hallie has so many friends so close by! We love having play groups and park days and so much fun with everyone!  Thanks for coming!

P.S. I got most of my ideas from my pinterest board here